In the late 80's I finally could afford buying a big stack from GK. It was a 800RB head with a 4x10 and a 1x18 cabs. I was so proud and happy because I would be finally heard out loud after years being hidden by guitarrists's tiny amps. That same week we got a gig in the national bank labour's union and I decided to make its debut there. It was a historical building downtown with just 3 floors and the club was on the roof.

It was great to finally have power enough to be heard along overdriven Guitar and busy Drums (that time I playied with this fusion power trio). But, at the end of the gig, I discovered that the elevator broke up. Can you imagine what was to get all that weight downstairs? Suddenly the 3 floors seemed to be the road to hell... Not just the weight, but the size was completely unconfortable to carry alone and I had to ask my pal on guitar to help me. It wasn't easy, it wasn't quick, but we succeeded.

In front of my car the guitarrist - panting and covered in sweat - tapped me on shoulder and said:

"This is one of the few things that just a real friend can do for you, but DON'T EVER, NEVER, ASK ME TO DO IT AGAIN!"

"I will let you put on your car by your own, that way you'll think better next time you wish to use such big rig, bye..."

This was the last time I dreamt with gigantic rigs. I rented it to a rehearsal studio next home and started the quest for the big sound in a tiny box (the holly grail of all bassists). And it lasted almost 20 years until I could finally reach it. The problem was always not having the low response that I needed. The best choice I found until then was a 2x15" from MESA/Boogie - but it weighted a ton - or the lighter weight but spit sounding horns of any 2x10"! But there is a revolution going on right now.

Thanks to the new neodimium speakers, just now we can have really big sound in light weight cabs. It is a real bless to our bass and back. I'm now using a fantastic 2x10" from Epifani (its response goes flat down 40Hz, but can also makes a low B sound pretty decent). This isn't an ad for them, but is a joy having all this power (500W RMS), all this sound pressure (102dB) in just 38 lbs package.

All companies are introducing their neodimium equiped cabs. I recomend everyone to try one of these new Cabs sometime, specially if you carry your rig yourself, LOL. Best regards!

I'm with you ther Mario. After years of humping a trace elliot rig (4x10 and 1x15) I finally gave it up and switched to EBS Neo cabs about 18 months ago (4x10 and 2x12). My back still hasn't finished thanking me. They sound pretty incredible too ;-)

I am also a convert to the Neo class. I currently have an Epi UL2 610 and UL212 and an Accugroove Whappo Jr. (which is for sale) I don't want to have to lift anything heavy for a gig again. Funny though the singer in my band also plays bass for Danzig and is endorsed by Ampeg. He came off tour with a brand new SVT classic head and 810 cab which I helped him move into his new place. UFFAH! No neos there. I also switched years ago to an Epi T310 because it was lighter than conventional 410's. Not too bad but the neo version would be a joy to lift,

Neodymium is where it's at! I played an Ampeg SVT 8x10 for years on the road. That's one heavy Son'B (and I hate the tone, but that's neither here nor there). I picked up a new Hartke HyDrive 8x10, and damn does this thing sound good and boy is it light! There's a 25lbs. difference! I as a player will NEVER sacrifice tone for weight, but now I don't even have to think about doing it!

I've been playing through light gear for years (various preamps, single 15" cab, Walter Woods, etc). Then I stumbled on a Trace Elliot stack (AH600SMX, 410, 115). Weighs a ton, but the sound is unbelievable. I mostly just use the 410 at indoor gigs.

For many gigs, I'm on the Neo Train as well. I run a Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.0 through a NeoX 2X12. The cab is so light and has rollerblade like wheels on one end so I don't have to bring a cart. . I really like the low end on the 2X12. There's nothing to wish for when it comes to the rest of the range of the instrument either. The rig recently showed me what it was really made of where I had to compete with a Mesa MarkIV head and a Dream Theater sized drum kit. I still do have an old school SVT II and 810 for some gigs, but I've hardly used any of it over the past year. I also use the Shuttle head with a 1X12 for many other gigs and it's got some serious volume and articulation to it.

I had to bail on the big heavy rig thing as well. I had an SVT Classic head and 8 x 10 cabinet... it sounded great, but I was unable to move it out of my basement without help, it wouldn't fit into my car, etc. Now if I need big sound I use (2) Acme Low B-2 cabs and a rack with a Yamaha preamp and a QSC RMX2450. If I don't need that much amp I just use one Acme cab and an Eden WT-400+. One day I'll look into the neo thing....

I have had the big stuff but my back ached and the bands I were in complained about the volume as we only did small venues. The current band play very cheesy 70's party stuff(not my taste but loads of gigs, I am doing it for the dosh) SO now I have a tiny stack, a Roland Bass Cube with and 12" extension cab I built myself - all Thiele/Small calculated to get the best sound. The bass goes thru the PA so it is out of my control but after the audience has beered up I don't think they care!!

Most decent soundguys don't want you to totally crank on stage anyhow. So 9 times out of 10, my amp and cab are for me and the band to hear on stage. The rest goes through the house. I've only be mic'd up a few times over the past years. Everything has been DI only more recently. So to me, it's more about satisfying your stage volume.

Oddly enough, I did play a room last month that held about 500 heads and the sound guy at check kept asking me to turn up which was way louder than I would have even liked. I thought he was on crack. I'm thinking, my one cab isn't going to fill the room.

Tough thing about bar gigs and small venues is your amp usually does have to fill the room because your sometimes not going through a PA, but the stage isn't very big for such a rig. It's all Catch 22 isn't it.

Well with this band everything goes thru' the PA, the drums go thru' a noise gate so at least it isn't picking everything up. The PA is only Mackie Bass subs with Peavey HiSys500 tops, 1500W Mosfet drives it all, anyway, in the previous band I ran the PA but now all I do is turn up with my mini stack, Alembic and gig bag..absolute dream, no more whining to me about the sound anymore, someone else gets that.

I first heard Phil Jones gear at NAMM a few years ago. A biggin with a couple of dozen 5" drivers. Very cool, very precise and crisp, with no wanting in the bottom end, and plenty loud. (they were issued a noise citation by the NAMM police, no kidding!) Last month Sam Ash was having a sale on the Suitcase and the Flightcase. I took the opportunity to try them out. Wonderful tone but not very practical for anything louder than an acoustic trio or your bedroom.

jbybj - I guess if you are playing heavy rock and you need more power and you want your stage sound out in the audience(especially if you are not put thru' the PA) The band I am in puts all the gear thru' the PA so I use my little Roland Bass CUbe with extension speaker as my own monitor

Yiiikes!!!! But I love it!! Crrrrrushing...probably universe shaking lows coupled with stratospheric splitting highs!!!! You must have roadies though, if not, you've got some great friends in that they help you cart that equipment, which in my opinion is what it is all about! Most excellent!!!!

I was getting some complaints, mostly from the backup singers, about being too loud on stage running thru a Eden Metro 2x10 combo. This Shure in-ear system I used when I used to sing a lot so I tried it for my bass. Sounds great!

We have an in ear systems running off the monitor board but I use my own system, a Shure PSM-400(It came with SCL-3 but I use the SCL-5 earphones). It has 2 inputs with seperate level contols to mix them. I set the transmitter on top of the Eden and daisy off the drummers monitor into the transmitter and pre-amp out of the Eden into the transmitter. This way I can turn my bass up without changing the house mix.

Ironicaly last Sunday one of the backup singers turned to me during rehearsal and said my bass was too loud and ask me to turn down. The Eden has a switch that allows you to turn the speakers off, which they were. The only on stage bass was coming from the drummers monitor and he is behind an isolation wall. DOH!!

All closed spaces can cause Stationary Waves. If in good sounding ambients this frequencies are best distributed and doesn't bothers you, in problematical rooms just some frequencies build up (annoingly twisting room's frequencies response curve towards mud low-mids).

As low frequencies have bigger wavelenght, they tends to be more problematic (since they also build up a complete Harmonic Series, wich means that it causes ressonances in partials of the main problematic frequency). Don't forget that lows are omnidirectional and equaly spread all over the place. While lows shows up behind PA as strong as they roar in front of Speakers, highs - that moves forward (away from you) - sounds weak at the stage. I believe that this is what was bothering her... Specially if drummer's monitor was pumping the bass ;D

A room's stationary wave occurs when the distance between its parallel walls is half of a size of its wavelenght. In fact, these distances do defines wich frequencies will build up. So it is utterly important that distances between walls in a room never relate. The worst case would be a cubic (or spherical) room, when the reinforced frequency will be the same on all axis. But it is bad when a dimension is half or double the other either.

When this happens, not only omnidirectional lows are overwhelming, but even some specific notes can be tottaly up front (even if you play them short and softly). Stages like that are totaly exasperating to play on and this bomb notes can be very distractive (and distructive) to your performance.

Bloody singers...always complaining, a list of what they whine about The bass is too loud The guitar is too high pitched The drums are shaking my voice I cannot see the lyrics because the lights are shining on my face My hair is not right My shirt has a coffee stain on it so I cannot do the gig. and on and on and on They maybe the drivers but the band is the engine.

I loved when I tried a in-ear monitor, specially because I also back sing in my Band. It is so pleasent that in-your-face sound, everything cristal clear and very little room reverberation to distract you. But I missed that low shaking my belly...

Don't you feel that too, Olie?

It seems to me that something is lacking, not a proper sound, but that phisical presence only deep lows can cause. When your entire body moves and became an ear, when air rumble and ground shakes. Not in the bad way stationary waves does, but when Bass Cabinet punches you in the chest.

This feeling made me ask for more Bass than I'd really needed and I feel that I used my monitoring too loud that night. I know this is an newbie's issue and I could correct that misuse with more experience, but I really felt my Bass too light tottaly aparted from its Cabinet.

What I tried to tell is that are some reasonable reasons to some complaints. I can't play either if the stage is too loud or too boomy...

But they need to be remembered that - if some Frequency is stationary - its nodes and peaks are also fixed in space and you can get out of it just moving sideways. As we know peaks of a stationary soundwave in a closed room are always confined by the wall, the build up of deep sounds is a bigger problem just near background.

So, if you avoid being by the corner, you can hear more balanced sounds. Just move some feet away from walls...

Sorry for late reply but maybe not as bad but playing bass and getting it right and singing at the same time...not my forte. I guess I cannot multi task like our female counterparts..Kimberley if you read this..do you sing or just play outstandingly as you do.

My stage rig tends to vary.. it is either my Gallien-Krueger MB200 on its own, or with an additional 1x10 or 1x12 or a 2x10 cab, or either a Hartke HA2000 cab with either 1 or 2 2x10 cabs or the 1x12 cab or a 1x15 cab... or a fender BXR Dual400 head with any cab combination... Or the big rack rig (8spc rack w. yamaha preamp, DBX163 comp, Digitech RDS1900 set for chorus, QSC GX5 power amp) with a Hartke 410XL and a Mesa/Boogie RoadReady 2x10.

However, any time when there's backline amps in the gig, or whenever I am unable/unwilling to bring my amps/cabs, I use a 3 spc rack with a wireless receiver, the In-ear monitor transmitter, and a Behringer digital preamp (V-amp bass pro). This way I can always rely on in-ears, shape a couple nice sounds on the preamp and feed it to both the PA and the in-ears if needed (sometimes the soundguy is nice enough as to provide me with a nice mix to the in-ears so I don't need to provide bass directly to my in-ears), and leave the extra "oopmh" to whatever they provide on stage, be it an amp or sidefill monitors. Period, I like my in-ears quite low in volume, so in the end I mix the somewhat isolated "outside" sound with a little bit of in-ears for definition. I can stand a 2-hours show quite comfortably this way.

Wish we all live closer. I always read about these guys getting together and miss meeting you (and your wonderfull Alembics, shure).

It is funny, but seems easyer to any latin musician to play in US first than playing in a neighbourhood country. Incredably how close we are and how far we get, because our eyes seems always turned towards North.

Being a portugese spoking country made of Brazil not too aware of our fellow latin brothers, such pitty. Hope this is changing nowadays. Hope freetrade MercoSur be good to we people, too (not just for commodities or business, as usual).